The massive 410-square-kilometre fire burning around Shuswap Lake has officials concerned as fire behaviour is causing the blaze to still spread but not at the levels seen in the past two days.
“We haven’t seen the amount of growth or anything close to what we saw (over the past few days),” Forrest Tower said, a BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) official.
“(However) We still do have a quite active fire on all perimeters where it is still getting new growth.”
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District said the 114 firefighters in the area have been “working tirelessly” in the battle against the Bush Creek East wildfire, which has forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 properties.
The fire was previously named the Lower East Adams Lake fire complex before it merged with an adjacent fire.
The fire reading, which is mapped at 41,041 hectares, is not exactly accurate, according to BC Wildfire Service staff, as it has had to depend on thermal imaging due to smoke. Staff said the reading may be inaccurate and evacuees should not rely on the perimeter to determine structural impacts.
Wind conditions and cooler temperatures are favourable for crews on Sunday, but officials warn extremely dry conditions are still leading to more fire growth but fire activity has been less active.
The fire is also burning in extremely steep terrain, posing challenges for ground crews to access.
A huge problem for BCWS crews in the North Shuswap area is that their gear is being stolen.
“We are having pumps, hoses and sprinklers in place … being taken, being put somewhere else or stolen. It’s really, really impacting operations right now, particularly in and around the Lee Creek to Scotch Creek (area),” Tower said.
“We’ve had an ATV stolen with firefighting gear on it. Some of these setups are covering dozens of homes. We arrive and it’s just not there anymore.”
Tower said most people that have defied the evacuation order in the area are cooperating and working closely with officials, but he thinks some may be taking or moving the equipment.
“A large amount of the community, if not most of the people there, are trying to help, they are working with us,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there are some individuals who are making those efforts efforts really difficult. (We are) really trying to urge anyone who are in evacuation areas, to please work with the official emergency response.”
Structures have been destroyed by the fire in the area but, at this point, numbers and specifics were not provided.
The vast fire has multiple fronts crews are working on and here is the latest from BC Wildfire Service as of 1:30 p.m. Sunday:
West and East of Adams Lake:
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is monitoring the properties on both sides of Adams Lake and is working with B.C. government officials to get the Holding Bridge repaired and the Holding Road area cleared. The timeline for these tasks is an estimated four to five days.
“Ferry management is engaged with any repairs, maintenance, or fueling required for the ferry,” BCWS staff said.
“There is an effective community response that is engaged with BC Wildfire on both sides of the lake.”
A “strike team” continues to mop up areas on the Adams Forest Service Road.
North of Shuswap Lake:
BCWS crews and equipment are assessing for viable line construction opportunities in the Celista and Magna Bay area to direct fire spread to the north and away from structures.
Structure protection is working in the Lee Creek Drive area where the fire is backing slowly downslope.
Once the fire is close enough, crews will engage above the structures and will work on the perimeter of the fire.
Along Bischoff Road, northwest of Magna Bay, structural firefighters are working to triage and engage structure protection resources.
The current fire perimeter on the eastern flank is displaying Rank 1 fire behaviour or less. There is no imminent threat to this area, BCWS said.
Little Shuswap Lake:
A BCWS crew and a Brazilian unit are working from Little Shuswap Lake north to Loakin-Bear Creek Road. The fire line is tied in “securely” above homes as of Sunday morning, according to BCWS.
Those crews continue to work north. Crews are also working along Loakin-Bear between the two and four-kilometre marks. Air tankers worked to put retardant lines in the Little Shuswap area to support crews.
South of Highway 1:
Heavy helicopter bucketing is taking place on the south side of Highway 11 on the western flank of the fire. The goal is to direct fire growth upslope to the south and away from the community of Chase.
A task force is working above Sorrento, with the support of Brazilians, putting a direct hand line above homes and are directing the fire away from the community.
More Aug. 20 coverage:
No new orders or alerts have been issued on Sunday as of 3;30 p.m.
On Saturday, air support was grounded in the area due to smoky conditions. Conditions have improved on Sunday and air resources are in operation.
An evacuation order and alert were issued by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District on Saturday afternoon.
Community members in the areas of Electoral Areas C and G must leave immediately, which is in the areas of Sorrento and Skimikin.
This new evacuation order joins the existing orders already in place, adding thousands more to thousands of residents already evacuated and putting even more on alert.
More than 8,752 people are on evacuation order from this wildfire, with another 1,671 on alert.
BCWS officials said the Bush Creek East wildfire has experienced some of the worst conditions the province has ever seen for wildfires.
BCWS’s Cliff Chapman said the fire took a run of more than 20 km in 12 hours on Friday — something that is unheard of in B.C. wildfire activity.